Gathering All the News

industry which had larger reporting staffs to maintain, feared the new medium.

In the early 1920’s the Government of Canada paid little attention to radio, with the exception of the granting of licences and the super- vision of the technical aspects of broadcasting by the Department of Marine and Fisheries. At this time, however, religious sects began to seek out broadcasting licences and to use the stations for religious prop- aganda. Letters of protest bombarded the Members of Parliament in Ottawa and appeared in newspapers throughout the country. The Government became alarmed, and the issue was aired in the House. Coincidental to the religious programs there were also letters protesting the amount of American programs being listened to in Canada. In December of 1928, the Liberal Government of MacKenzie King com- missioned Sir John Aird, Mr. Augustin Frigon, and Mr. C.A. Bowman to study and make recommendations on the future of broadcasting in Canada. The Aird Commission, as it was called, conducted hearings throughout the country.

To understand the Commission you would have to look at the back— grounds of its three members. Its Chairman, Sir John Aird, was President of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. Quite early in the pro- ceedings he made the gauche statement that he’d . .once owned a radio but later threw the damn thing out.” Mr. Bowman, Editor of the Ottawa Citizen, was well known for his anti—broadcasting stand and made no bones of the fact that he believed broadcasting stations should be owned by a consortium of daily newspapers. Augustin Frigon, Director of Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique, was destined to become the General Manager of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, years later. The Aird Commission finally recommended a totally nationalized broadcast— ing system similar to that set up in Germany and Britain. The news- papers threw their support behind it while the private broadcasting sta— tion owners including my father, opposed it vigourously. In the next federal election, the Liberals were overwhelmingly defeated by RB. Bennett’s Conservatives. The Aird Report, ominous for those in private broadcasting, was still awaiting adoption by the House.

Dad wrote a long letter to R.B. Bennett giving his views on the report and, generally, “putting him into the picture” as far as Canadian broadcasters were concerned. No doubt the Prime Minister received Similar letters from other broadcasters. “RB” wrote Dad personally say- ing how astounded he was at the revelations he had received and stated

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